Week 6 Injury Report: Good Signs for Florida
Florida released its initial Week 6 injury report Wednesday night ahead of Saturday’s matchup with No. 9 Texas. Notably off the list is freshman wide receiver Dallas Wilson.
Wilson has been sidelined by a left-foot injury that he suffered during fall camp back in August. The former five-star from Tampa exploded onto the scene during spring practice and himself a day during the Orange and Blue game, catching 10 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. All signs were pointing towards a breakout first year, before the injury occurred. But good news came from Gators coach Billy Napier this week, who said Wilson has been practicing more frequently, signaling that he could be ready soon.
“Dallas Wilson will be the headliner, and for him to be able to practice last week and be available is a big deal,” Napier said. “We’ll see as we go throughout the week. But three good days of work last week, and I thought he handled the load well. We’ll be getting the report each day in terms of what the numbers look like and where he’s at, but he feels really good. So far, so good.”
Loading ...The 6-foot-3, 213-pound newcomer brings an added element of big-play passing that has been missing from this offense four games into the year.
“Oh man, just having him out there is going to be just amazing for us,” quarterback DJ Lagway said. “His ability to go deep, his ability to make plays underneath, being able to make miraculous plays with the ball in his hand. It is going to be great to have him back.”
Florida ranks 119th in explosive plays, something that was a main staple a year ago. Part of this has to do with receivers being in-and-out of the lineup, including J. Michael Sturdivant and Aidan Mizell, who are both a full go this week.
The only two offensive players listed on the report are running backs Ja’Kobi Jackson and Treyaun Webb.
Defensively, Florida has been plagued by the injury bug, which continues to take out key starters at all three levels of this defense. So far this season, EDGE LJ McCray, defensive lineman Caleb Banks, corner Dijon Johnson and safety Aaron Gates have all seen their seasons come to a close with season-ending injuries that each require surgery.
McCray broke his foot in the Week 2 loss against USF, while Banks missed the first two games of the year after he also suffered a foot injury back at fall camp. He made his return for the LSU game before injuring that same foot again late in the third quarter.
A week later, Gates left the first half with a shoulder injury and Johnson went down with a non-contact knee injury in the third quarter that cut his season short. Napier said Monday that Gates was day to day.
“We do anticipate potentially getting Aaron back,” Napier said. “But that’s going to be day to day depending on how that goes. We got good news on that front and then obviously you’ll get an injury report Wednesday night.”
However, Swamp 24/7 reported Tuesday that Gates would be undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum, realistically marking the end of his year.
Not on the list is defensive lineman Brendan Bett, who suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Miami game. Bett was seen wearing a brace for the last two weeks, but it looks like he is good enough to be out there this week. Along with Bett, George Gumbs Jr. and Michai Boireau are also cleared this week.
Florida Gators Full Injury Report:
OUT:
Aaron Gates
Caleb Banks
LJ McCray
Ja’Kobi Jackson
Treyaun Webb
Dijon Johnson
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
